SC bans registration of diesel vehicles of 2,000cc and above in Delhi for 3 months

In what could be considered as a major blow for diesel car manufacturers and dealers in the country, the Supreme Court today said that it could ban registration of diesel cars and SUVs with engine capacity above 2000cc in the capital city for three months starting January.

Reserving its verdict on the matter for Wednesday, the apex court reportedly slammed the car dealers who had appealed against the ban on registrations of diesel cars in the region, while alluding to the grave health concerns caused by diesel emissions.

The court also asked the Delhi government to implement the odd-even car scheme on its own on a trial basis and then decide on the future course of action.

The Supreme Court’s decision comes after the National Green Tribunal had ordered to stop the registration of all diesel cars in Delhi till the next hearing on January 6. The tribunal had also asked central and state government to stop buying diesel cars in Delhi.

The ban, if implemented, will seriously dent manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, BMW and Mahindra & Mahindra, which have most products featuring diesel engines of capacity more than 2000cc.

According to estimates, around 1,300-1,500 vehicles are registered in Delhi every day and roughly 50 percent of them are diesel vehicles.

Apart from the ban on new car registrations, the Supreme Court also ordered to ban the entry of trucks registered before 2005 in the National Capital Region and increase the pollution cess on trucks entering Delhi to Rs 1,400-2,600.

On October 12, the Supreme Court had fixed the pollution cess for CVs entering Delhi at Rs 700-1,300 and had exempted vehicles carrying essential commodities and passenger vehicles from paying the cess.